The back story of a songwriter isn't important to me - I don't listen to music needing to know who the guy is.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
As a songwriter, it's very hard to listen to music that's not coming from the heart and soul, personally.
I honestly don't class myself as a songwriter. I've got 'musician' written on my passport. That's even funnier.
I never considered myself a songwriter, but now since I've been working with Nick Lowe, I am contributing to an extent. But I'm the guitarist and he's not, so we compliment each other in a way.
First and foremost, I consider myself a songwriter.
I am a songwriter. I do get to put my personal experiences in song.
One of the greatest tools you have as a songwriter is anonymity. If someone knows too much about the songwriter, they don't get to insert their own characters. I don't want the audience thinking about the gay guy who wrote the song.
Not to take anything away from artists who don't write their own songs, but it's always been important to me to make sure it's my story.
Every song I write is autobiographical and is about people, and that's one of the things that gets complicated. You have to decide where's your place as a songwriter.
As a songwriter, I feel like, just for inspiration and research purposes, I have to listen to everything.
I've always been around musicians and always been the songwriter who doesn't end up playing the music.